Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Main Headline
A late-night, early-morning calzone shop has opened in Oneonta.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Religion column: Who do you say Jesus is?
As a pastor and caregiver of people for 20 years, I still marvel at the philosophy and beliefs of people I meet on the street when it comes to answering the question "Who is Jesus, and what does he mean to you?"
Main Headline
When Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-Hudson, was in Delhi on Aug. 17 to open her new office in the Charles D. Cook County Office Building, she took time to sit down with a group of county officials to hear what the local issues are and to offer her help.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Business Council president to speak
The president and chief executive officer of the Business Council of New York State will make two presentations in Oneonta on Thursday.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Religion column: God will be our stronghold
"God is Good, he is a stronghold in the day of trouble, and he knows those who trust in him" (Nahum 1:7). Nahum is a name in Hebrew that means "comfort," but these are the only words of comfort in his book. As one of the minor prophets of the Old Testament, Nahum shares this brief word about the nature of God and God’s relationship with his people who trust in him. God will be our stronghold in our time of trouble.
Looking forward to sheep stunts
At a trip to the Otsego County Fair, I thought I would be denied my first glimpse of the sheep olympics when I arrived there one hot evening looking for a story. The honorary fair director Bob Dutcher said the event was rescheduled out of concern to the animals.
Saturday, August 4, 2007
Religion column: Compassionate service found through religion
The other day, when I was working on this column for The Daily Star, I came across a profound book on religion called "How to Expand Love." It was written by the Dalai Lama, who has been presenting his understanding of Buddhist spirituality to the Western audience through a number of profound and readable books such as "The Wisdom of Forgiveness," "Path to Tranquility" and others. I found "How to Expand Love" to be an appropriate book to read at a time when there has been much religious misunderstanding and intolerance among the people of the world.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Business Beat
The Oneonta Spice Co. has reopened on Main Street in Oneonta.
Religion column: Mission is possible one step at a time
I confess my own lack of faith when I consider the task before us as outlined in Matthew 24:14 where Jesus states: "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come."
Religion column: Mission is possible one step at a time
I confess my own lack of faith when I consider the task before us as outlined in Matthew 24:14 where Jesus states: "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come."
Religion column: God is calling us all by name
Zach was a wealthy man with a big problem. He was also a thief. Much of his wealth was obtained by dishonest means. He lived as a rich man, but also a man in rebellion against God; that is, until the day Zach heard God call his name. We’ll get back to Zach in a moment.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Insurance goes with marriage
COLUMBUS _ The phone rang and I hurried into the office to answer it, heard that familiar, sonorous voice say hello.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Religion column: The love of God is truly great
“The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star,
And reaches to the lowest hell;”
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Foreign guide lists Private Drawers
An Oneonta business has been featured in an international shopping guide.
Private Drawers is among lingerie shops included in Shop Scouting World Wide, according to a news release.
Foreign guide lists Private Drawers
An Oneonta business has been featured in an international shopping guide.
Private Drawers is among lingerie shops included in Shop Scouting World Wide, according to a news release.
Saturday, July 7, 2007
C’town makes it a small country
You can take the girl out of Cooperstown, but you can’t take the Cooperstown out of the girl.
Guest Column: Native son Cooper still has much to teach us
Reading James Fenimore Cooper’s "The Deerslayer" was the beginning of a literary adventure that brought meaning and tremendous pleasure to my life. Cooper is a writer of great stature, whose influence can be seen in the diversity of his novels _ from the adventurous sea novel, the melodrama, to the modern western, and more. He profoundly influenced many writers including Melville and Hawthorne, Balzac, and with every year, his novels have stirred people.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Religion column: Open heart to Lord for change to occur
There was a harsh sound that caught Eli’s ear, the sound of bitter weeping. Shame and hurt, that had been held inside for years was being poured out. Eli caught sight of a weeping woman. Then the sound of weeping fades and Eli watches her lips form words without making any sound. Eli said to the woman "how long will you make yourself drunk?" "I am not drunk," she replied, "I am oppressed in spirit, I have poured out my soul before the Lord it has been out of my bitterness and provocation that I have been speaking."
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Face facts on enemy combatants
Earlier this month, a 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel in Richmond, Va., ruled the Bush administration couldn’t continue to hold Ali al-Marri, a Qatari citizen and a legal U.S. resident, in military detention indefinitely without charging him with a crime.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
I’d like to be
a little richer
It was not with a bang or a whimper that my dream of fame and fortune went down in flames _ it was with a postcard.
Religion column: Good neighbors start with you
Robert Frost penned a famous poem, "Mending Walls," beginning with the words "Something there is that doesn’t love a wall." But the line that most people remember is: "Good fences make good neighbors."
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Religion column: Take advantage of good things in life
As we evolve into the beauty, the sun and warmth of summer here in thearea of our City of the Hills of the Empire State, there are certainly worrisome challenges on the horizon.
Local Guest Column: Damaschke needs new ideas
The new facilities and other improvements unfolding at Damaschke Field will be a tribute to the many who have worked hard to bring them into reality, transforming a negative situation into a positive one for the city and area citizens.
Local Guest Column: Bill has pluses, minuses for migrant workers
The immigration bill in front of Congress is gasping for dear life. As an advocate for migrant farmworkers, I would like to provide a grass-roots perspective surrounding the estimated 12 million undocumented individuals and the proposed guest worker program.
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Religion column: Jesus provided best birthday present for me
It was September 1967. The hippie movement was in full swing, along with anti-war demonstrations, draft-dodgers, long hair, beards and short skirts. I was 14 years old at the time.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Religion column: Another kind of Memorial Day
This day being set aside to honor our military forces is an important day. The Bible gives the command to honor those to whom honor is due, and is it not due to these ones who have put their lives on the line for us? We would say so.
Recovery goes on in Walton
Last year as Memorial Day weekend arrived, I was making final frantic plans to attend my son Kyle’s wedding June 10.
I wouldn’t have believed anyone who told me that a year later, such an important anniversary would almost slip my mind as I began to dread the arrival of June and that other flood of memories.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Local Guest Column: EPA, NYC plan will hurt Delaware County
Who doesn’t support a pristine environment and open space? On the face of it, it would seem that everyone might be in favor of the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposal to tell NYC to spend $300 million to buy land and conservation easements in its watersheds over the next 10 years to prevent building a filtration plant for its water supply from the Catskills.
Religion column: Don’t judge people on looks
Sometimes in our American culture, the context of public discourse turns just plain silly; the way a fun-house mirror distorts a person’s image. In fact, it is a matter of image that sparks this piece.
Dropout rate of zero hard to keep
While Downsville Central School had no dropouts on a recent state report tracking what happened to students who started high school in 2002, Superintendent Robert Mackey said that to maintain that level will require a lot of hard work from school faculty.
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Religion column: What is truth? How do we find it?
Websters describes the truth as a body of real things, events and facts, a transcendent fundamental or spiritual reality, a judgment, proposition or idea that is true or accepted as true.
Troopers’ duty is
to protect the public
The Margaretville trooper shootings happened more than two weeks ago.
The funerals are over. Some of the questions have been answered. And the state and regional television media have moved on to the next big story.
Words escape event
I don’t think I have seen anything that can compare to what I saw Wednesday morning in Delmar.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Business Beat: Ex-Ames being fixed for tenants
Further work is being done at the former Ames plaza in Oneonta, but Town Supervisor Duncan Davie said the construction isn’t to serve any particular retailer or tenant.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Religion column: God won’t nudge you back forever
In the spring of 2005, we moved back home _ both of us born and raised here, leaving after high school for a life down south and raising a family.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Business Beat: No Starbucks planned for Oneonta
A long-persistent rumor about Starbucks coming to Oneonta may be just that _ a rumor.
"At this time, I don’t have any information about a store coming to the area, so I can’t confirm it," said Emily Murray, a spokeswoman for Starbucks.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Christian life requires daily devotion to God
The Christian world had just been celebrating Lent, Holy Week and Easter. Various segments of Christianity tend to emphasize different aspects of this rich tapestry of events. The Western churches are rather "hung up" on the Crucifixion and the atonement, while the Eastern Christians tend to emphasize the resurrection leading on to Pentecost. For all, it is a wonderful, holy time of the year.
Local guest column: Accept the science behind global warming
Recent editorials and commentaries in the media, including in this newspaper, have asserted that there is disagreement among scientific experts about the fact and/or cause of global climate change. Such comments are, at best, misinformed and, at worst, dishonest.
Reporter’s Notebook: Essayist almost got to see Sinatra
An Oneonta resident will have an essay published in an upcoming book on Frank Sinatra. The author, Joseph Fioravanti said he has been a fan of the singer since he was 13, when Sinatra came up with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra in the 1940s.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Religion column: These traveling Quakers finally settle down
Our Quaker experience began nearly 40 years ago in Bloomington, Ind. We were introduced to Quaker Meeting through a woman that my wife had met as both were pushing strollers during an anti-war demonstration (this was the mid-’60s).
Species, diseases are not welcome
Not too long ago, I paddled around an Oneonta wetland helping a group of volunteers get rid of an invasive aquatic plant _ water chestnuts.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Religion column: These traveling Quakers finally settle down
Our Quaker experience began nearly 40 years ago in Bloomington, Ind. We were introduced to Quaker Meeting through a woman that my wife had met as both were pushing strollers during an anti-war demonstration (this was the mid-’60s).
Species, diseases are not welcome
Not too long ago, I paddled around an Oneonta wetland helping a group of volunteers get rid of an invasive aquatic plant _ water chestnuts.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Business Beat: IRS warns of tax-time ’phishing"
Even as people are finishing their taxes, the Internal Revenue Service is warning people about "phishers" who are trying to lure people into sharing personal information.
Saturday, April 7, 2007
Religion column: Easter answers `Who is Jesus?"
Sunday, in Christian churches throughout the world, the joyful shouts will go up: "Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!" The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is absolutely pivotal to the Christian faith. Everything else swings on that, so much so that the Apostle Paul, writing to early Christian believers in the Greek city of Corinth, could say: "if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile."
Odyssey students give fresh approach
I never thought a morgue could be funny.
A group of students from Sidney Central School, however, made it just that.
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Small-business deadline is near
April 23 is the filing deadline for small businesses affected by the flood to apply for aid, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Return to beat sets off alarm
As part of the aging demographic, I have entered that mature phase of my life where I set off metal detectors.
It’s not my magnetic charm that’s the culprit here _ it’s my new knees.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Religion column: Lent is time to repent, grow
Growing up in the predominantly Catholic Philippines, I vividly remember how the people religiously observed the season of Lent. The intensity of the observance builds throughout the season that culminates with Holy Week. Everyone in the Philippines seemed to participate in the observance of Lent, regardless of their religious traditions.
Sap story yields neat statistics
Working on a story about back-to-back Maple Weekends provided a lot of interesting statistics about a state industry that produces one-sixth of the nation’s maple syrup.
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Religion column: Celebrate Patrick of God
It is a common saying that everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day. Everyone apparently wants "a piece" of Patrick, but much of what is known about him is merely popular myth. Indeed such is the mystique around the man born in the 4th century since Christ, that it is nearly impossible to separate fact from fiction.
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Guest commentary: War is not the answer for Iraq _ or for Iran
Congress will be voting soon on a $93 billion supplemental appropriations bill to support the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. And that is just to get us through the summer.
Guest commentary: Global-warming fears need skepticism
With all the buzz in the air concerning man-made global warming, I decided to watch Al Gore’s "An Inconvenient Truth." Twice. At first glance, Gore provides compelling evidence to persuade the public to take seriously the effect of carbob dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. Using computer models, Gore prophesized that by 2050 our earth will be dramatically compromised. With polar ice caps supposedly melting, ocean levels supposedly rising, more frequent and intense storms, we must curb our prodigal ways to avert impending disaster.
Religion news: Jesus under attack again
Well, they’ve done it again. Each year, during Lent or just before Easter, it seems that somebody in the news media or the movie/book industry takes it upon themselves to attack Christian faith through an expose or "factual" presentation of some shocking new discovery that the church (usually those mean guys in the Vatican _ and I’m not a Roman Catholic) have suppressed for centuries. A few years ago it was Dan Brown’s "The Da Vinci Code." This year’s entry in the field is the Discovery Channel’s documentary on the discovery of the ossuary (burial box for bones) of Jesus and his family.
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Guest Commentary: Soccer Hall didn’t miss opportunity
I was somewhat dismayed when I read your editorial of Thursday, March 1, "Soccer Hall can’t miss opportunity." I acknowledge that the column is titled "In Our Opinion," however, even opinion ought to be based on facts. Your editorial was not.
Saturday, March 3, 2007
Religion column: All should learn Torah teachings
"Describe your belief system." This statement I posed to my English IV students studying Renaissance literature. It was a time when print established an awakening mode of communication, especially with Gutenberg printing the first Bible.
Science students to learn by doing
Sidney Central School recently was awarded a $74,500 grant by the State Farm Insurance Youth Advisory Board to be used for, among other things, developing a model to better predict flooding on the Susquehanna River.
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Guest commentary: Farewell to the citizens of Oneonta
I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for giving me the honor of being your police chief in the city of Oneonta for almost 25 years.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Religion column: Lent is time to reflect on God, relationships
On Wednesday, we entered the most solemn and demanding period in our church calendar. On Ash Wednesday we were asked to commit ourselves to consider the reason and progress of Christ’s journey to the cross and the difference it makes in our lives. As we prepare to walk with Jesus through the path of Lent, we are called to a time of deep spiritual examination and prayer.
’Blue Pup’ gets advice on energy
The heartland of New York could be a leading alternative-energy center, one of the nation’s newest Blue Dog Democrats said last week.
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Religion column: Counterfeit or true treasure?
Have you noticed in your visits to the banks or credit unions the warnings given you to verify checks for deposit into your account?
Bowls sold for art’s sake Headline
The Super Bowl provided a chance for the Upper Catskill Community Council of the Arts’ School of the Arts to have a fundraiser.
Saturday, February 3, 2007
Guest commentary: Conservatives should move past culture wars
Last November, as the probability of the Democrats assuming control of Congress loomed, Jean Jones of Afton wrote The Daily Star and warned of the dire consequences we would suffer, should that happen.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Guest commentary: DWI laws don’t need changes
I was disappointed to read our local lawmakers’ response to what they perceive as a problem with the New York state DWI laws. Too often lawmakers look for a correct "political" response to an issue and forget the fundamental concepts upon which our country was founded, such as the presumption of innocence and the right to trial by jury.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Religion column: Declare your faith; live by it
A person who counts himself among obedient servants of the Lord must testify to faith in the One God and to acceptance of his prophet (Muhammad, Jesus or Moses, peace be upon them all, depending on the religion one follows sincerely).
Noting reasons
for pride
Bassett Healthcare Director of Human Resources Bruce Wilhelm’s recent appointment as the chief administrative officer for the new hospital in Sidney gave him time for reflection.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
IRS makes online filing available
E-file and Free File are available again through the Internal Revenue Service.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
`It’s going to be our problem"
With most of the people at an anti-war vigil in downtown Oneonta on Thursday over the age of 40, and some of whom I knew had protested the Vietnam War, Kristen and Zach King stood out.
Religion column: People today need the Lord
Matthew 11:12 indicates the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it. How we think affects whether we live in victory or defeat, success or failure in confronting life’s difficulties. Proverbs 23:7 teaches the way we think in our heart affects the way we are.
Saturday, January 6, 2007
Religion column: Resolve to work for equality, justice for all
A week ago, we said goodbye to the year 2006 and welcomed a new year. There are many rituals people follow as they welcome a new year. Many people drink a toast, looking forward to a good year, with health and happiness. Some watch the ball drop at Times Square. Others ignore the whole thing and are off to bed before the New Year arrives. Many people make New Year’s resolutions.
Don’t count on babies
to make deadlines
I have learned at least one very important lesson at The Daily Star: Babies cannot be trusted for a deadline. A colleague called me around noon Monday to inform me that, no, we did not have a New Year’s baby. Scrambling for a backup, I figured that the last baby of 2006 would work as a story, and I started calling hospitals to see who had a baby Dec. 31.
Thursday, January 4, 2007
From the publisher: First Night Oneonta a winner
The planning may have been behind the normal schedule, but the First Night event in Oneonta clearly has plenty of life left in it.
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Religion column: New year offers new start with God
On Dec. 31, the clock will strike midnight, ushering in another new year. Some people stay up until midnight to welcome the new year. Others stay up to make sure the old year leaves!
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Wilber buys mortgage company
The Wilber Corporation has bought a Saratoga County mortgage company.
Monday, December 25, 2006
Religion column: Give the gift of reconciliation
The Christmas season is upon us again. Hours are spent thinking and looking for just the right gift for someone who is on our list.
Guest commentary: All teenagers don’t think alike
A newspaper is meant to be well-written, well-supported and accurate. Last weekend’s colum "No one cares to stop cheaters," by Jessie Matus, did not meet any of this criteria.
Concerts abound; goldfish survive
A recent visit from the Tebe Poem Chamber Choir made headlines not just in Oneonta, but also in the group’s native Siberia.
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Religion column: Give the gift of reconciliation
The Christmas season is upon us again. Hours are spent thinking and looking for just the right gift for someone who is on our list.
Guest commentary: All teenagers don’t think alike
A newspaper is meant to be well-written, well-supported and accurate. Last weekend’s colum "No one cares to stop cheaters," by Jessie Matus, did not meet any of this criteria.
Concerts abound; goldfish survive
A recent visit from the Tebe Poem Chamber Choir made headlines not just in Oneonta, but also in the group’s native Siberia.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
All Yankees games to be shown
Yankees fans can breathe a sigh of relief. All 162 games will be broadcast next year through Time Warner Cable, spokesman David Whalen said.
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Religion column: One cannot be neutral on Jesus
One of our most cherished Christmas carols begins with the question, "What child is this who laid to rest, on Mary’s lap is sleeping?" Answering "Jesus" is not enough. The question probes deeper into the nature of this historical figure.
Saturday, December 2, 2006
Buddhist ideas for a season
of gratitude
This is again the season of focusing on gratitude and our roles of expressing that in our families and communities.
Reporter’s Notebook: Public eye can be good and bad
As anyone who works for The Daily Star can tell you, working at a community newspaper has its advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, it’s a fantastic way to get to know the local area. On the other hand, when you put yourself into the public eye, you never know what the consequences might be.
Saturday, November 18, 2006
We do truly need Thanksgiving Day
Thanksgiving is the most uniquely American of all our holidays. Some would argue for the 4th of July, but most democratic nations have Independence Day celebrations. The French have Bastille Day. Mexico celebrates its Cinco de Mayo, and the Irish observe the Easter Rising and Easter Rebellion.
Monday, November 13, 2006
Religion column: Choice brings accountability
The Scriptures declare that God holds men accountable for their acts. As found in Alma 12:14: "For our words will condemn us, yea, all our works will condemn us; … and our thoughts will also condemn us …"
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Religion column: Choice brings accountability
The Scriptures declare that God holds men accountable for their acts. As found in Alma 12:14: "For our words will condemn us, yea, all our works will condemn us; … and our thoughts will also condemn us …"
Saturday, November 4, 2006
Religion column: Spiritual care not about religion
I am the spiritual care coordinator of our local three-county hospice program. Many people have absolutely no idea what that means, and truthfully, it is difficult to describe in words. Perhaps it would be better to tell a story to illustrate spiritual care. In order to protect the subject’s privacy, names and certain details have been changed, but such details are unimportant.
Religion column: We must move past labeling
When I was a kid growing up it was "mill girls." When I was in graduate school it was "blacks." When I listen to talk radio its "Muslims," or at worst "Rag Heads"; and when I listen to TV news, it's "illegal aliens." Labels!
Betting on babies and Santa
This week, for example, I helped Dr. Chris Kjolhede win a bet with Bill Stamp, director of marketing and corporate communications at Bassett Healthcare.
Saturday, October 7, 2006
Religion column: Give thanks for feathered, furry or finned friends
This Sunday, we will invite anyone in the community to come our church garden at 2 p.m., and to bring their "animal companions" for a service of blessing. We will gather around the statue of a man in the simple robe, belted with a rope, and ask God to bless those furry, finned or feathered friends who share our lives.
Reporter's Notebook: Some can save; others need help
Otsego County's social-services commissioner drew a few gasps from the Oneonta League of Women Voters during a speech last month when he said the number of sexual-abuse cases reported annually in Otsego County has nearly tripled since 2002.
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Guest commentary: Torture not practical or moral
By Rep. Sherwood Boehlert
The Administration and Congress are engaged in one of the most contentious debates I have witnessed during my 24 years in the House of Representatives.
Religion column: Common phrases don't make sense
Check out these commonly used phrases. Are they really true? I'd like to look at some of these goofy sayings and shed some light upon them. Brace yourself; if what I say gets you upset, well, maybe you need to look at things from a different angle.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Hospital Guard Killed
Virginia Tech shut down its campus Monday and ordered everyone to remain inside as authorities searched for an escaped inmate suspected of killing a hospital guard and shooting a police officer near the university.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Business Beat: Housing prices increase in four-county area
Changes in housing sales were mixed across the four-county region from July 2005 to July 2006, according to recent numbers from the New York State Association of Realtors.
Saturday, September 9, 2006
Religion column: A religion beyond my imagination
I would never have dreamed it up. Did you ever think of a religion you would have made up? Had I been thinking up a religion, I would have made room for my achievements. I would make it so I could impress God with how good I am, how dedicated I am, how religious I am — plenty of rites and ceremonies, complete with sights, sounds and smells. I would have an elaborate list of things to do, and not to do. It would be impressive.
Reporter’s Notebook: ’War on fear’ still with us
When I began my newspaper career with an internship at the Legislative Gazette in Albany, I was looking forward to five months of watching how a bill became law.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Health Column: Multiple treatment options exist for prostate cancer
According to the American Cancer Society, prostate cancer is the second most common cancer found in men. It is the third leading cause of cancer death in men after lung and colorectal cancers. In 2006, it is estimated that about 234,000 cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in the United States. There are many misconceptions about this form of cancer, as well as confusion regarding the most viable screening and treatment options available.
Guest Comment: Catalyst plant good for city and nature
I am writing to respond to some misstatements and factual errors contained in the letters to the editor from Martin Wank and Daniel Blacklock regarding Catalyst Renewables and the Roundhouse Renewable Energy Park. Catalyst is a developer, owner and operator of renewable energy facilities. We are committed to a facility design that protects the environment in the community of Oneonta. We strive to be a valuable, contributing member of the community and know that expectation is upon us.
Local Guest Comment: No one benefits from Israel-Lebanon conflict
In responding to recent columns on the Mideast by Tom Sears and Sam Pollak, I acknowledge that I was raised a liberal Protestant with no particular instruction in Mideast politics. I support Israel’s right to exist.
Religion Column: God’s divine plan offers solace, even in difficult times
For years, I have served as a counselor at Pathfinder Lodge, an American Baptist Camp in Cooperstown. I have also taught painting and harmonica classes to youths at camp. It is always a joy for me to watch the faces of new youths coming from different family backgrounds, city or country, from throughout New York state.
Wednesday, August 2, 2006
Business Beat: NBT reports higher quarterly income
NBT Bancorp has had an increase in income for the second quarter of 2006 compared with last year despite last month’s flooding, according to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Local comment: A letter never written
I just turned 33 years old. It’s been a good life so far. My job is secure. I have more patients in my physical therapy practice then I can handle, so I’ve hired an assistant.
Saturday, July 15, 2006
Guest commentary: Cherry Valley shouldn’t delay in allowing wind power
Reunion Power is asking Cherry Valley residents to examine the benefits of the East Hill Wind Farm and to allow the project to go forward, regulated by a local wind-power law rather than be blocked by a moratorium.
Reporter’s Notebook
When the rain began June 25, it didn’t seem like anything more than a wet end to a wet month.
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Business Beat: Bank branches share space after flood
The NBT Bank branch on Oneonta’s Southside and the Wilber National Bank branches in Sidney and Walton will remain closed until further notice, according to information from the respective banks.
Guest Comment: NYRI must be stopped from constructing line
Initial opposition to New York Regional Interconnect’s proposed power line through central New York appears strikingly similar to the battle against Marcy-South 25 years ago. Unfortunately, this bodes well for NYRI’s proposal.
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Religion column: God’s commands applicable today
Some people in our country are trying to take God and all things pertaining to god out of any public place in the USA. This saddens many of us who feel that our country was founded on the principles of the commands of God.
Reporter’s Notebook: Helping the less fortunate
About 20 Cooperstown High School students were to deliver school supplies this week to a class in the Bronx as part of a project for their sociology elective, according to Cooperstown history teacher Jennifer Pindar, who teaches the class for juniors and seniors.
Religion column: Fathers can learn from God’s example as Heavenly Father
This Sunday is set aside as Father’s Day. What a great opportunity to encourage our dads in these difficult days around us. We need to remember that no matter what kind of father we have been, there is always a new beginning. Consider the Parable of the Prodigal Son, Luke 15:11-32 To summarize, it consists of a young man who takes all of his entitlement, leaves home and wastes it in foolishness. He soon finds that he is in a desperate condition, and is groveling for food even among the pigs.
Saturday, May 20, 2006
Religion column: Yoga helps mold heart, body, mind for spiritual life
Hinduism is the oldest and most complex religion of India. It gave birth to three major faiths, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, as well as to the spiritual discipline of yoga. As offshoots of Hinduism, each of these offsprings emphasizes a unique characteristic of the parent religion by making that aspect its core principle.
Local Guest Comment: Abortion can be a moral decision by women
I was inspired by attending the national Planned Parenthood Federation of America conference in Washington, D.C., early this spring. Although political forces have been arrayed in opposition to the rights of women and men to control their own reproductive lives, it is heartening to know we are not alone in our determination to maintain our moral freedom and responsibility.
Wednesday, May 3, 2006
Business Beat: Excellus wants clients to claim checks
Excellus BlueCross BlueShield is looking for about 50 people and nearly 10 providers in Otsego County who haven’t claimed checks from the company.
Saturday, April 15, 2006
Guest Comment: Canon and crucifixion: What about Gospel of Judas
On April 6, the National Geographic Society in Washington created a sensation by presenting a team of biblical scholars and scientists to explain the newly-discovered archeological treasure: \
Saturday, April 1, 2006
Religion column: Jesus can help change destructive nature
What comes naturally to us depends on our nature, culture, society and how we were brought up by our parents. These related, yet individualistic, characteristic parts are the sum of our true nature.
Learn to listen with a new way of understanding
I’ve been out of seminary for almost 16 years. A lot of facts have been forgotten over the years. I wasn’t very good at memorizing. Tell me a story, though, and it will live with me a long time, especially if it is pertinent to life.
Saturday, March 18, 2006
Local Guest Comment: Oneonta should take time with woodburning plant
As a former science teacher, I have always been interested in ways to cut pollution problems. A wood-burning plant would certainly help if it were taking a coal-fired plant out of existence. However, a wood-burning plant in Oneonta may cause economic problems and so
